In this past year, at least one dozen people were fired from Catholic institutions because of LGBT issues. Some were fired because they legally married a same-gender partner. Others were fired because of their support for such marriages or because of their gender identity. In 2012, five people were fired for these reasons, so we are definitely seeing an increase in such actions by Church leaders. (You can find all the Bondings 2.0 posts regarding these events by clicking on “Employment Issues” in the “Categories” list on the right side of this page.)

Catholics need to take action to help prevent such firings. Our Catholic social justice tradition compels us to institute structures that promote equality and justice for all people. As Catholics work to make our society more just for LGBT people, we need to also work to make our Church institutions reflect the same kind of justice. We need to make sure that our Church lives up to its best traditions of honoring the dignity of work, respecting a person’s conscience, and treating all people equally.

New Ways Ministry believes that the best way to help LGBT church personnel is for Catholics to work locally to get their Catholic institutions to adopt non-discrimination policies with regard to marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and personal support for marriage equality. Only by adopting such policies will LGBT Church personnel and their supporters be protected from unfair labor practices.

A policy statement can be as simple as: “(Name of parish, school, or institution) will not discriminate in employment practices on the basis of marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and personal support for marriage equality.”

How can you work to implement such policies in your local community? Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Identify other people in your parish, school, or other institution who support LGBT equality. Brainstorm with them what might work best locally in your particular situation.

Propose such policies to the various decision-makers in an institution. Don’t just approach the person at the top of the hierarchy (e.g., pastor or principal). Work with the “middle managers” who affect the decision makers, such as a parish council, a parent-teacher associations, a social justice committee, a diversity task force, or others who have influence.

Collect signatures on a petition to institute a non-discrimination policy to present to the local decision-makers.

Gather testimonies about how such firings reflect negatively on the Church’s image. Gather these not only from LGBT people, but from other Catholics who disagree with discriminatory employment practices.

Gather testimonies on the spiritual gifts and professional skills of LGBT people from those whose lives are touched by them, such as parents, family members, friends, parishioners, students, colleagues, and alumni.

Develop your arguments around the Catholic ideas of justice and equality. The Catholic social justice tradition protects the rights of workers, it respects differences among people, it promotes the equal treatment of all people, it respects everyone’s inherent human dignity.

If appropriate, work regionally with other parishes, schools, and Catholic institutions in your area so that more than one place will simultaneously adopt such policies.

Contact New Ways Ministry to consult about the particular situation in your community. We’d be glad to be part of your brainstorming and strategizing. Our phone number is 301-277-5674. Our email address is info@NewWaysMinistry.org

Share your successes and setbacks with us so that we can better help others who want to establish such policies.

These are just some tips to help you get started. Every local situation is unique, so do not be afraid to adapt these suggestions to fit your community.

Do not be discouraged by lack of progress or success. Even if your institution ultimately does not adopt such a policy, engaging in this process will help people and the Church to have an open dialogue on the issue. Such discussion will make it more difficult for people to be fired in the future because decision-makers will know of your support for LGBT equality.

In working to establish such a policy, you are in line with Catholic social justice practice. As early as 1973, St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City established an employment non-discrimination policy based on sexual orientation. They were the first Catholic institution to do so. You can read about their story here and here.

But the tradition of protecting employment of LGBT people and their supporters in Catholic institutions has some more recent precedents, too. For example, this past summer Bondings 2.0 reported on two Catholic hospitals lauded by the Human Rights Campaign for their sensitivity to LGBT issues, including employment. And in March, 2013, the laity and church workers of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, California persuaded Bishop Robert Vasa to retract an orthodoxy pledge in diocesan employment contracts. And in April of 2012, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna, Austria, who was a papal candidate, overturned a pastor’s decision to exclude a gay man in a committed relationship from serving on the parish council.

Employment non-discrimination policies offer a great form of legal protection for these Church workers. Please pray about the decision to start this process and start working towards a goal in the best way that you can. Our God of justice will surely reward your efforts.

[…] To get started on an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policy at your Catholic parish, school, hospital, or social service agency, contact New Ways Ministry at info@newwaysministry.org or (301) 277-5674. You can also find more information on making this change here. […]

[…] acceptance, will inspire more church officials to make statements and, more importantly, implement policies, as a handful of institutions have already done, that allow LGBT employees to live and to work […]

[…] Progress happened for church workers’ rights in 2015, but we still have a long way to go. The responsibility is on each of us to take action this coming year. To get started, consider getting an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policy passed at your Catholic parish, school, hospital, or social service agency. You can find more information on making this change here. […]

[…] You can take action to stop the firings! Consider getting an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policy passed at your Catholic parish, school, hospital, or social service agency. You can find more information on making this change here. […]

[…] To take action, consider getting an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policy passed at your Catholic parish, school, hospital, or social service agency. You can find more information on making this change here. […]

[…] To get started on an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policy at your Catholic parish, school, hospital, or social service agency, contact New Ways Ministry at info@newwaysministry.org or (301) 277-5674. You can also find more information on making this change here. […]

[…] 2013, New Ways Ministry has been advocating for Catholic institutions to adopt non-discrimination policies protecting people from being fired because of sexual orientation, marital or relational status, and […]

[…] The firing of LGBT church workers must end, and we must all do our part to answer Manson’s call by ensuring ecclesial institutions protect their workers and will find support among the People of God if they stand firm against a bishop’s discriminatory desires. A first step? Consider implementing an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policy passed at your Catholic parish, school, hospital, or social service agency. You can find more information on making this change here. […]

[…] To get started, consider getting an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policy passed at your Catholic parish, school, hospital, or social service agency. You can find more information on making this change here. […]

[…] right to marry, is discriminatory. It is unjust, especially since many Catholic institutions have employment non-discrimination disclaimers that state they are equal opportunity employers that comply with all federal, state and local laws […]

[…] 2. Take Action. Adding a sufficient non-discrimination policy at your local Catholic institution could be as simple as adding the following: “(Name of parish, school, or institution) will not discriminate in employment practices on the basis of marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and personal support for marriage equality.” For more tips on establishing LGBT-inclusive policies, click here. […]

[…] Ways Ministry continues to urge Catholics to begin conversations towards adopting non-discrimination policies in their parishes and schools, as a way to prevent firings. At the very least, such conversations […]

[…] forcefully against anti-LGBT laws that are being enacted around the globe. Or he could support employment rights for LGBT people working in Catholic institutions. A statement of support to LGBT youth who experience bullying […]

[…] The firing of LGBT church workers and those who support their equal rights under the law is the true scandal, not the loving commitment of same-gender partners. In an emerging world where LGBT justice is increasingly the standard, church institutions are faced with the choice of losing talented ministers or accepting people, as our Catholic faith instructs us. Let us hope parishes and schools will make the right choice, but in the meantime, help prevent future firings by advocating for non-discrimination policies. […]

[…] about how to start discussions to establish such policies by clicking on our blog post entitled ”How to Establish LGBT Employment Non-Discrimination Policies in Catholic Institutions.&#82… Even if your parish or school is ultimately unsuccessful in getting such a policy adopted, […]

[…] The fundamental thread running through these commentaries is that firing those who transgress the Vatican’s sexual issues provides not only a teaching moment for the church to live up to its best social justice ideals, but these situations can also be an impetus for Catholics to speak out against them. Turning to Seattle-area high school students’ example may be the first step in responding to firings, as well as implementing non-discrimination policies in Catholic institutions inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status. You can read about the former here and the latter here. […]

[…] Supporters of Mark Zmuda protest outside Archdiocese of Seattle chancery. Note that two protesters on the right are carrying signs from New Ways Ministry’s campaign to establish non-discrimination policies. […]

[…] to encourage Catholics to work towards getting their schools, parishes, and other institutions to adopt non-discrimination policies which will protect LGBT people from being fired. You can read our whole list of suggestions by […]

[…] agencies. You can learn more about how to work towards establishing such policies by clicking here. Adopting such policies guarantees that LGBT people and their allies will be protected, and it […]

[…] LGBT Catholics and allies, we have many reasons for gloominess. Numerous LGBT church workers have been fired from Catholic institutions for their sexual orientation, gender identity, and beliefs about […]

[…] because they expel children of lesbian and gay people from Catholic schools, because they fire openly LGBT people from church employment, because they hold exorcisms when marriage equality is enacted, because they […]

[…] ENDA’s future looks grim in the House, further raising questions about why US bishops felt the need to reaffirm their opposition to a bill which very possibly will fail. However, their letter highlights the urgent need for Catholics in the pews to pre-empt Congress and implement non-discrimination policies inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity in their Catholic schools, parishes, and other workplaces. For more information on how to accomplish this goal, please click here. […]